Billable weight
The scale reading or the volume of the box, whichever is larger. A light carton with a lot of air inside gets billed on its dimensions, which is why a 20 lb box of dinnerware and a 20 lb box of pillows are not the same shipment.
FedEx pricing
FedEx shipping rates, box by box
Six cartons went out to Atlanta and the same six went out to Los Angeles on 2026-07-29, and every FedEx row that came back is printed below with nothing rounded. The range across the twelve was $12.42 to $106.97, and the number a reader most needs is not the cheapest one but the gap between FedEx and whoever beat it.
Twelve live quotesCounter price shown tooBoth lanes, one day
One day of quotes
Same six boxes, two destinations, one capture. Every figure below is the whole amount a customer pays at checkout.
Six cartons heading south
Atlanta is a short-to-middling run from northern New Jersey, which is where the FedEx economy tier does its best work. The last column names whichever carrier undercut FedEx on that exact box, because a FedEx price only means something once you know what it beat.
| Box and weight | FedEx Ground Economy | FedEx Ground | Cheapest rate from another carrier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 × 9 × 4 in, 2 lb | $12.426-7 business days | no row returned | $8.48 USPS Ground Advantage |
| 14 × 11 × 8 in, 5 lb | $14.316-7 business days | no row returned | $13.65 UPS Ground Saver |
| 16 × 12 × 10 in, 10 lb | $17.576-7 business days | no row returned | $17.56 UPS Ground Saver |
| 18 × 14 × 12 in, 20 lb | $23.226-7 business days | $34.224-5 business days | $23.00 UPS Ground Saver |
| 20 × 16 × 12 in, 30 lb | $33.056-7 business days | $43.154-5 business days | $31.52 UPS Ground |
| 24 × 18 × 16 in, 50 lb | $55.236-7 business days | $63.454-5 business days | $45.01 UPS Ground |
The mainline ground service stayed off this lane entirely until the carton hit 20 lb. Below that, five other rates were cheaper on every box, so it never earned a place among them. That is a pricing verdict, not a hole in the data.
The same six cartons heading west
Coast to coast is where the shape changes. Two of these six boxes are the only ones in the whole capture where FedEx returned the lowest rate of any carrier, and both sit in the middle of the weight range.
| Box and weight | FedEx Ground Economy | FedEx Ground | Cheapest rate from another carrier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 × 9 × 4 in, 2 lb | $15.867-8 business days | no row returned | $11.04 USPS Ground Advantage |
| 14 × 11 × 8 in, 5 lb | $20.507-8 business days | no row returned | $19.25 UPS Ground Saver |
| 16 × 12 × 10 in, 10 lb | $24.697-8 business days | $40.726-7 business days | $25.51 UPS Ground Saver |
| 18 × 14 × 12 in, 20 lb | $35.037-8 business days | $55.536-7 business days | $35.06 UPS Ground Saver |
| 20 × 16 × 12 in, 30 lb | $56.897-8 business days | $73.966-7 business days | $51.92 UPS Ground |
| 24 × 18 × 16 in, 50 lb | $88.097-8 business days | $106.976-7 business days | $76.04 UPS Ground |
At 10 lb westbound the economy tier came in under everything else on the board, and at 20 lb it took the lead by three cents. Those margins are small enough to flip between one capture and the next, which is the argument for pricing the box you actually have rather than trusting a table written last month.
What the same parcel costs at a FedEx counter
Each FedEx rate arrived with a second figure attached: the carrier's own counter price for the identical parcel. Printing both makes the size of the spread visible, and the spread is not the same on both services.
| Carton and destination | FedEx service | Price here | FedEx counter price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 × 12 × 10 in, 10 lb, Atlanta | Ground Economy | $17.57 | $26.11 |
| 24 × 18 × 16 in, 50 lb, Atlanta | Ground Economy | $55.23 | $76.44 |
| 24 × 18 × 16 in, 50 lb, Los Angeles | Ground Economy | $88.09 | $122.73 |
| 18 × 14 × 12 in, 20 lb, Atlanta | Ground | $34.22 | $35.56 |
| 24 × 18 × 16 in, 50 lb, Atlanta | Ground | $63.45 | $66.65 |
| 24 × 18 × 16 in, 50 lb, Los Angeles | Ground | $106.97 | $112.96 |
On the six rows above the counter figure sat 38 to 49 percent over the price paid on the economy tier, and under 6 percent over it on FedEx Ground. The narrow half of that pattern held everywhere: across every FedEx row in the capture the mainline ground gap never left a 3 to 6 percent band, while the economy gap moved around far more, from roughly 11 percent to roughly 52 percent. Whichever tier you pick decides how much a habit of walking parcels into a store costs you.
The four things a FedEx number is made of
Distance band
Compare the two tables at 50 lb: $63.45 to Atlanta against $106.97 to Los Angeles on the same service and the same carton. Nothing about the parcel changed except the ZIP code at the far end.
Fuel, reset weekly
FedEx writes that “Changes to the FedEx fuel surcharge will be applied weekly,” and ties the ground figure to the national on-highway diesel average. The weeks of July 20 and July 27 2026 posted ground fuel in a 25.25 to 25.75 percent band (fedex.com, read 2026-07-29).
Where it is going
A house costs more than a loading dock, and a remote ZIP costs more than either. FedEx revised the ZIP code lists behind its delivery area and pickup area surcharges on 20 July 2026, so a lane that priced one way in June can price differently now (fedex.com, read 2026-07-29).
Which tier you asked for
FedEx describes its economy tier as suited to shipments that are low-weight, low-value and nonurgent, with a ceiling of 70 lbs and 130 inches of length plus girth, and a window of 2 to 7 business days (fedex.com, read 2026-07-29).
Nothing you can negotiate today
Published list rates changed on 5 January 2026 and the accessorial lists have moved since. A quote is the only honest way to learn today's number for today's box, and it takes about as long as reading this card.
Where a FedEx number stops behaving
One carton in the capture was deliberately built past the point where parcel pricing works: 48 by 24 by 20 inches at 40 lb, which is 136 inches of length plus girth. It was quoted on the same Atlanta lane, on the same day, as everything above.
| Rate returned | Price | Window quoted |
|---|---|---|
| UPS Ground | $203.72 | 4-5 business days |
| UPS 3 Day Select | $265.10 | 4-5 business days |
| UPS 2nd Day Air | $355.51 | 4-5 business days |
| UPS 2nd Day Air A.M. | $405.52 | 4-5 business days |
| FedEx Ground | $576.71 | 4-5 business days |
The FedEx counter price on that row was $594.60, so even at the top the spread behaved. What matters is the ratio to the tables above. Nothing in this carton weighs more than the 50 lb box on the same lane, and yet the cheapest rate it drew is more than four times the $45.01 that 50 lb box cost. Dimensions produced that jump, not weight, and a carton in this territory usually belongs on a pallet. The measurements belong in freight review, where a person prices them.
Common questions
How much does FedEx cost to ship a package?
On 2026-07-29 the twelve boxes on this page ran from $12.42 for a 2 lb carton going to Atlanta up to $106.97 for a 50 lb carton going to Los Angeles. Weight and distance move the number far more than anything else you can control.
Why are there two FedEx ground prices?
FedEx sells a mainline ground network and a slower economy tier under separate names. On the 50 lb carton to Atlanta the economy tier quoted $55.23 against $63.45 for FedEx Ground, and the quoted window stretched from 4-5 business days to 6-7.
Is the price at a FedEx counter the same as online?
No. Every FedEx rate in this capture came back with a counter price attached, and it sat above the price paid here every time. On the rows printed here the counter figure ran 38 to 49 percent higher on the economy tier, while the gap on FedEx Ground stayed under 6 percent.
Why did FedEx not appear on some of my quotes?
A quote returns the five strongest offers for that exact box. FedEx Ground was outbid on every eastbound carton under 20 lb in this run, so it never took one of the five slots. No row means outbid, not unavailable.
Does the FedEx price change from week to week?
Yes, because the fuel component moves. FedEx states that changes to its fuel surcharge are applied weekly, and for its ground network the figure tracks the national on-highway average diesel price. Treat any dated figure, including ours, as a reading rather than a fixed price.
Where the carrier rules came from
- FedEx, Fuel surcharges — the weekly reset, the diesel index behind the ground figure, and the percentages posted for the weeks of 20 and 27 July 2026. Read 2026-07-29.
- FedEx, FedEx Ground Economy — the 70 lbs and 130 inch ceiling, the 2 to 7 business day window, and what FedEx says the tier suits. Read 2026-07-29.
- FedEx, Current rates — list rates effective 5 January 2026 and the 20 July 2026 revision to the delivery area and pickup area surcharge ZIP lists. Read 2026-07-29.
Prices on this page are ours, captured through our own checkout on the date in each caption. Rules are FedEx's, quoted from the pages linked above and dated. Both move, and neither is a promise about your parcel next week.